Rare honour for 7-yr-old in England

Indian-born Bharat Dhyani has been honoured for his proficiency in English.

indiaUpdated: Nov 11, 2006 11:14 IST

Indo-Asian News Service None

An India-born seven-year-old boy in Norwich, eastern England, has been honoured for his proficiency in English.

Bharat Dhyani was among nearly 50 pupils awarded certificates for completing the Norwich public schools' English as a second language/bilingual programme, a feat they achieved after demonstrating linguistic and academic grade-level proficiency.

"What impresses me is that most of you are not just bilingual, but you are multilingual, which is an accomplishment not many native speakers can boast of," superintendent Pam Aubin told the students.

An excited Dhyani said he was embarrassed at first to be in class with students who knew words he didn't understand. But he said he now speaks English with ease.

According to the online edition of Norwich Bulletin, Dhyani's family moved from India to England four years ago.

Thousands of immigrants have poured into Norwich in the last decade, lured mostly by job opportunities. The impact has been felt in the city's schools, where 738 of 3,994 students spoke a language other than English.